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8 May 2015

Scooter around Kuta (Lombok)

5th- 8th April 2015

Our first few
minutes on Lombok didn’t quite go to plan. No sooner had we stepped onto the
soft sandy shoreline we had lost money to a simple but effective ploy. The
local horse drawn carriage taxis mass in the car park all too aware that at
regular intervals throughout the day naïve foreigners are looking to pass
swiftly through the village and onto popular destinations on the island.
Information regarding where tourists find the minibus station is vague at best
and they use this to their advantage. We were corralled onto one of these
carriages and told the station was a long walk away so we needed a taxi. A
transaction of cash was naturally expected and after a little haggling we got
the cost down to a couple of quid. The “long” journey to the station turned out
to be an 800m trot around the corner at a pace that would make a snail caught
in treacle seem fast. So if you do make the small ferry crossing from the
Gili’s to Lombok and you have the physique to complete a short walk don’t make
our mistake and walk to the station yourself.

Kuta Hotel is a real Oasis amongst the hustle and bustle

Two hours was all
it took to reach the southern village of Kuta. It’s fair to say that the place
is a little rough around the edges. The boutique hotels and basic family run
guest homes are nestled amongst scrappy looking warungs and pothole ridden
streets strewn with loose rubbish. It may leave you thinking what the hell the
fuss is all about. After a
quick sweep of the range of accommodation on offer we splashed out and checked
into the aptly named Kuta Hotel. The place is owned by a couple of Spanish guys
and offers large, clean, comfy rooms, an awesome swimming pool and a great
buffet breakfast. If you’re on a budget you will want to give this place a miss
as it is a the higher end of the price spectrum in town but you don’t need to
look far as there are plenty of cheap and cheerful guesthouses dotted along the
same street.

The south coast of Lombok is dotted with rugged but sheltered bays

Kuta isn’t the real reason why backpackers
flock to the south coast of the island. It’s the areas reputations for stunning
coastal scenery, beaches and surf that keeps people coming back and the best
way to find your inner beach bum is to hire a scooter and explore and your own
pace. Almost every guesthouse has scooters to hire in town if you haven’t
already brought a bike over from neighbouring Bali. Rentals are extremely cheap
at an average of 50,000 IRP (£2.50 a day). Make sure you check the brakes and
give the bike a ride around before committing and ensure they also provide you
with a decent helmet. The locals don’t seem to care but there are plenty of
potholes around and accidents do happen. Sure you look a bit stupid but you
wouldn’t want the last memory of your travels to be sat in the emergency room
of the nearest hospital.

Many locals make a living harvesting the fruits of the sea at Gerupuk

Tanjung A'an

Great spot for crabbing, Tanjung A'an

You have two options when riding around
Kuta. East to Gerupuk or West to Mawun? East of the village along the road
towards Gerupuk you’ll pass the litter ridden and unsightly Kuta beach. It’s a
convenient place to wander if you lack a scooter and offers good views but it
won’t take long before the ever persistent kids selling crappy bracelets and
old women offering to cripple you with a back massage get on your nerves. It’s
only when you get 3.5km away to seger beach where you’ll find the first real
surf spot. The surf is variable here but mostly suitable for beginners and
intermediates. 7km east is the popular spot of Tanjung A’an. It’s all about the
soft white sand here and it doesn’t take much encouragement to waste away an
afternoon under the sun and maybe taking the odd swim in the turquoise bay. All
the beaches along the coast have at least one warung and if you feel a bit
peckish it’s never hard to find a local willing to cook up some nasi goring and
throw a can of bintang your way.

The
roads continue to deteriorate as you reach the fishing village of Gerupuk. If
surfings your thing look no further as the shallow bay offers four surf spots
ranging from suitable to beginners to advanced. Most of the locals offer
lessons although you do require a ferry to get out to the breakers at a cost of
150,000 IRP (£12) for two hours. If you’re looking to stay close to the surf
gerupuk has a few cheap guesthouses run by the restaurants and cafes. Jono and
I gave it a miss with the surfing this time as it was low tide when we arrived
but it was clear from the steady stream of backpackers that this is the best
place to learn to surf in the region.

View from a headland at the secret surf spot just a few kilometres east of Kuta

On our second day with the scooter we
turned our attention west of Kuta towards the bay of Mawun. The road this side
of town is a little more interesting as the warn tarmac ascends the rocky
headland scarred by small quarries and scattered with tiny colonies of shacks.
It’s the best place to get a great view of the low lying patchwork of rice
fields and crystal waters below. You have to pay a small toll to access the
track to Mawun beach which apparently goes towards maintaining the road but
evidence of this is limited but the guys at the barrier seem to have a steady
supply of alcohol. Mawun is another great swimming spot and I think you may be
able to find a little surf if you can wrangle a local guy with a boat to get
you out of the sheltered bay. It was certainly good enough to distract us away
from heading further west.

﻿

Easy to see why we wasted a day at Mawun Beach

Back in Kuta we once again crossed paths
with our pal Alberto (Yogyakarta & Ubud). Being an experienced surfer
Alberto had been drawn towards Gerupuk and Mawi after exploring the Bali surf
havens around Uluwatu. We were in no way good enough to join him on the kind of
surf he was searching for but regardless of that it always nice to bump into a
familiar face and catch up on travelling tales over a few beers.

Locals here rely on the fertile volcanic soil for their staple food rice

Our stay on Lombok was brief but we stayed
long enough to grab a glimpse of an island quickly embracing tourism and
reaping the benefits of development but still manages to retain a back and
beyond feel (for a few years longer at least).

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